Wednesday 2 November 2011

Take a Letter...

We've been busy this week checking out some grid references for a SW Coast Path project we've been involved in, but more of that another time.


When we went to check the grid ref at Peveril Point we noticed somebody had kindly put up some new signposts, complete with grid refs for easy identification. Nice idea, but the trouble is whilst the numbers engraved on the posts are right, the two grid letters (before the numbers) are wrong, and actually indicate a position in the sea somewhere off Exmouth; SY 040 785 is in the centre of the map above whilst SZ 040 785 is in the centre of the map below - Peveril Point. Both maps courtesy of the Ordnance Survey WebsiteBeing the kind people we are we rang a man at the council to tell him, although we were unable to suggest how he could change the Y sufficiently to make it look like a Z. Nope, I think he has a tough job there. The British Grid is broken down into large 500km x 500km squares bordered on this map by the black lines. These determine the initial letter of a grid reference. The light grey lines indicate 100km x 100km squares which determine the second letter of the grid reference.

One good point in all of this is that if you're ever asked where you'd be if you were exactly 100km west of Peveril Point, you can now say with some confidence that you'd be in the sea just off Exmouth.

5 comments:

Swanage Coastguard said...

Tried to speak to the man at the County Council who we believe put the signs up.....left a message, waiting to hear back.....I guess he may be in Exmouth?!

CG said...

I'm sure he'll love you telling him how to do his job.....what you wanted was a dirty great black felt tip pen to scribble the new co-ordinates in ;-)

Swanage Coastguard said...

It was not a case of telling him how to do his job which after all he has done very well except for a Y instead Z whats 100KM?

CG said...

Ask him Y he was miles out....actually best not.

Anonymous said...

Just inland of the point off Exmouth is a firing range which points out to sea.